What About You And I?
by SantittanyForever
Summary: A bit angsty and dramatic, but it gets lovely and fluffy towards the end! Title taken from Ep. 22 in Season 2 "New York".
1. Chapter 1

Santana hurried to get ready, excited that she would see Brittany in just a few minutes. She hurriedly raked her fingers through her long black hair, not caring if it looked a little messy. She knew Brittany would think she looked good no matter what her hair was like; that was one of the reasons why she liked her so much – she always seemed happy with Santana, never dissatisfied or bored. This was not the case for most of the other students who attended William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio; most of them saw Santana as the bitchy mean girl who had to be avoided at all costs; if they didn't, then they would risk being verbally abused by the feisty Latina, who also wasn't afraid to use her fists if it came down to it. Santana then glanced at the time on her cell phone and grabbed her bag, running down the stairs at full speed. She almost collided with her mother, who was standing at the bottom of the stairs waiting for her.

"Hey, slow down there!" she laughed, as she looked at Santana with a bemused expression on her face. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"

"I'm staying at Brittany's for the night Mom. She, uh, wants me to get there fast so I can say bye to Lord Tubbington before her mom takes him to the vet!" She knew it was a terrible lie, but she didn't really care. She was too preoccupied with thoughts of seeing Brittany, thoughts of hugging her, holding her hand…

As she raced down the driveway and leapt into the front seat of her car, her mother watched her pull away and begin driving down the street. She wasn't fully aware of the relationship between the two girls, but she shut the front door with a knowing smile on her face, content with the fact that her daughter seemed happier than she had been in a long time. If Brittany was the cause of this happiness, then she was not going to interfere or stop whatever was going on.

Santana arrived outside the Pierce's house, her cheeks flushed with anticipation. She felt a slight tremor travel through her body, and it had nothing to do with the chill evening air she felt as she stepped out of the car and made her way to the front door. She did know that it had a lot to do with the tall blonde who had just opened the door and flung her arms around Santana, enveloping her in a giant hug. Brittany breathed in Santana's natural scent, a smell she had grown to know and love over the years; it offered her comfort and familiarity.

Santana embraced Brittany with the same force, feeling a sense of calm now she was in her best friend's arms once again. They pulled apart, and Santana gazed into Brittany's eyes, chocolate brown looking deep into the purest blue, and felt a rush of love for the pretty blonde girl standing in front of her. Brittany smiled at her, that smile that made Santana's legs turn to jelly, took her hand, and led her into the living room. Once settled on the couch, they began watching some show about ducks – Brittany had a kind of obsession with them – but neither girl was really paying attention.

Santana was hyper aware of everything that was going on around her; Brittany's thigh touching her own, her hand resting lightly on Brittany's stomach, Brittany's cheek leaning on her forehead.

At one point, Brittany leant down and placed a light kiss on Santana's cheek, making the Latina inhale a sharp intake of breath, which she tried to hide rather unsuccessfully. Brittany's mouth lifted on one side to form a small smile, and Santana reached out and tenderly stroked her cheek, dropping her hand to then stroke the smooth skin of Brittany's arm.

Once the program has finished, Brittany turned to Santana:

"Hey, wanna go upstairs?" she asked with a smile.

"Sure" was Santana's reply.

Both girls stood, with Santana not letting go of the hold she had on Brittany's arm. The taller blonde girl then grasped both of Santana's hands in her own, winked, and led her upstairs. They entered Brittany's room, and Santana took a breath to try and steady her racing heart. They had been here before. She knew what was about to happen. She could feel the anticipation building within her, making her head spin. Brittany then turned to face the shorter girl, and lay down on the bed in a slightly suggestive pose. Santana giggled and moved forward to lie next to her. Brittany was the one to make the first move, cupping Santana's cheek affectionately before placing a light kiss on her lips. Santana sighed with pleasure, and returned the kiss passionately.

The kissing was different than it used to be. When they used to hook up, before they had expressed their feelings for each other, their 'sweet lady kisses' had been ferocious, lustful, almost desperate. But now, they were caring, passionate, and full of love.

Brittany preferred it this way, and although she would never admit it, Santana did too. She loved lying with Brittany, holding her close to her body, covering her with kisses from her jaw all the way down to her collarbone.

Then, as things began to heat up, Brittany moaned and opened her mouth to speak.

"Oh, this is so much better than when I make out with Artie" she sighed.

Santana froze, trying to process what she just heard. Her body went rigid, and she sat up, staring at Brittany wide-eyed and shocked. She began to breathe heavily, praying she had misunderstood.

Brittany looked at Santana, confusion present on her pretty features.

"San? What's wrong? Why d'you stop?"

She sounded worried, and took Santana's hand into one of her own. But Santana withdrew her hand, and narrowed her eyes as she asked:

"What did you mean by that?"

Her tone of voice was venomous, but beneath that, her feelings of betrayal didn't go unnoticed.

"Mean by what? San, I don't know what you're talking about!" Brittany said, panic evident in her voice. "Please, I don't know what I did, but whatever it is; please don't be mad at me. I can't stand it when you don't talk to me."

The sadness in her voice was reflected in her eyes, which had begun to fill with tears of worry and desperation.

Santana, in turn, was cold, her eyes hard and emotionless. She raised her eyes to look directly into Brittany's and spoke, her voice cold and flat:

"When did you make out with Artie?"

Brittany's eyes widened as she realised what she had said, and her next words came out rushed:

"Oh! No, that's nothing! Me and him, we just make out sometimes, that's all! It's nothing serious; you're the one I want to be with!"

Her voice took on a pleading tone, and she tried to get Santana to meet her gaze.

"Please San, you have to believe me! It's just like when you and Puckerman hook up; it means nothing, it's just a bit of fun!"

Santana did look into Brittany's eyes then, and spat out her next words as if they left a nasty taste in her mouth.

"I haven't hooked up with Puck for weeks. Ever since our… thing started, I ended things with him. I wanted to be faithful to you; I didn't want to be with anyone else. Obviously you don't have the same concern."

She rose off the bed and turned away from Brittany, reaching for the door handle as she slung her bag over her shoulder.

"You know what? I can't believe you would do this to me. I thought you were the one person I could trust who wouldn't ever hurt me! But I guess I was wrong. Here I am, thinking you're the best… girlfriend someone could ever have, meanwhile you're having make-out sessions with the fucking nerd on wheels! Whatever. I'm outta here."

Brittany leapt off the bed, blocking the door, trying to stop Santana from leaving.

"San, please! I didn't mean for this to happen! I'll, I'll stop seeing Artie! I will, I promise! I want you, I don't want him! He means to nothing to me! Please!"

But Santana yanked the door open, pushed Brittany to the side, and stormed out of the house. It wasn't until she was sat in her car that she allowed the tears to flow. Her heart was racing, her head was pounding, and tears were streaming relentlessly down her tan cheeks. Each sob left her gasping for air, and with each sob, she was once again reminded of the heartbreak she had endured only moments earlier. She shouldn't be feeling like this. No one made Santana Lopez cry like this. No one. But she had. Brittany. She had that power. And Santana hated her for it. She attempted to suppress her cries, until they subsided into small sniffles, and only then was she able to drive home. As soon as she opened the front door, she ran upstairs and locked herself in her bedroom, burying her face in her pillow and letting the darkness and despair swallow her up.


	2. Chapter 2

Santana awoke to the sound of a car being started. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, glancing at her bedside clock, which read 9:15am. 'I must've slept through the night' she thought to herself, as she stretched and reached over for her phone. She saw that she had seven messages and nine missed calls, all from Brittany, then the events of the previous night came flooding back.

Her mind was bombarded with memories; Brittany crying, begging her to stay; the feeling of the world crumbling from beneath her feet when Brittany admitted to kissing Artie; the way that one comment made her heart feel as though it had broken into a million pieces.

She opened the text messages and read them one by one, each one becoming more and more desperate and pleading.

'Santana, please answer your phone!'

'I'm sorry, please come back and talk to me?'

'I don't know how to show you how sorry I am.'

'The kiss with Artie meant nothing; you're the one I want to be with.'

'I don't care how long it takes; I want us to be together.'

'I'll wait for you.'

The last message made Santana's heart clench, and she took a deep breath to steady herself as she read those four simple words:

'I love you Santana.'

She felt fresh tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes, so she decided to have a shower and try to take her mind off the blonde girl whom she still loved, despite having her heart broken by her.

She got dressed and jogged down the stairs, pausing in the kitchen as she saw the answering machine flashing, indicating the arrival of a message. She pressed play, and a small smile formed on her lips as she heard her mother's cheerful voice:

"Hey honey! I've gone to stay with Mike for a few days, since he's off to Spain next week. I've stocked up the fridge for you, and I've made sure your dad knows how to reach you if you need him. You should invite Brittany over to keep you company, I know you girls are always glad for your space when I'm out of the house! Anyway, I'll be back on Friday. Take care of yourself Santana, I love you sweetheart!'

Santana smiled as her mum spoke of her new boyfriend, but then her face fell slightly as Brittany's name was mentioned, and she was once again reminded of the events of last night.

She was busying herself with breakfast, rummaging through the fridge, when she heard her phone ringing. She looked at the caller ID, and her heart sank when she saw the name on the screen: **B****x**

She took a deep breath, pressed the green button, and held the phone up to her ear.

"Santana? Oh my god, I'm so glad you answered!" Brittany's voice was filled with relief.

"What do you want?" Santana's voice was cold and distant in comparison.

"I need to talk to you! Please, can I come over?"

She was almost begging, and Santana could hear the desperation and longing in her voice.

"Fine. Come over now. Mom's not here, so the house is empty. We can talk in private."

She then hung up abruptly, and sat on one of the kitchen stools, tapping her foot impatiently. She knew it wouldn't take long for Brittany to drive to her house, so she watched the clock, listening to it tick, waiting for the blonde to arrive.


	3. Chapter 3

She heard a car pull up, but did not race to get the door as she would have done normally. Instead, she waited until she heard the jangle of a key being inserted in a lock, and knew Brittany had remembered the keys Santana had given her towards the start of their friendship.

She glanced up, and was overcome with the desire to gather the blonde into her arms, anything to get rid of the look of devastation and hurt than was etched into her stunning features. Brittany's eyes were red and swollen, and she looked as though she hadn't got much sleep.

But, as much as Santana wanted to comfort her best friend, she couldn't escape the fact that she had been getting with Stubbles Mc. Cripple Pants even though they were pretty much a couple now. Remembering that caused a sharp stab of pain to ripple through her heart, a feeling that was becoming all too familiar to the brunette.

"Hey" said Brittany softly, her eyes searching Santana's for any signs of forgiveness.

"Hi." replied Santana bluntly, causing Brittany's face to fall. She looked deflated, as if the air had been punched out of her. Santana felt a momentary twinge of guilt, but then remembered what she had been going through since yesterday, because of her, and the feeling disappeared as quickly as it arrived.

Santana then rose quickly and walked past Brittany into the living room, sitting at the far end of the couch. The blonde quickly followed, sitting next to Santana but leaving a gap between them, knowing she would have to explain herself before Santana would feel comfortable and secure around her again.

"So… I missed you last night." she began, searching Santana's face for a reaction. But the Latina remained motionless, looking down and playing with the sleeve of her jumper.

Brittany then reached over and gently took Santana's hand, keeping a hold of it even when the brunette flinched and tried to pull her hand away. The blonde then used her free hand to tilt Santana's face upwards, until she could look into her eyes.

"Santana, I know nothing I say right now can make you completely forgive me. I understand now that what I did really hurt you, even though I didn't know it would hurt you at the time. And I know you feel betrayed, but I promise, I would never, ever, hurt you intentionally. I feel awful, Santana, I really do. And I'll do anything to make you love me again. Anything."

At this, Santana dropped her gaze once more and spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I never stopped loving you."

Brittany's eyes began to fill with tears once more, but she listened intently as Santana continued.

"Even last night, after I left yours, I wanted to be with you. I wanted to hold you, laugh with you, kiss you. But, when I think about that stuff, I also think about what you did. How you were with… him. That hurt more than I thought was possible. But still, I have to accept that… I love you. I love you with all my heart. But, right now, I don't think I can trust you."

Brittany's face fell slightly, but she looked into Santana's eyes and said:

"I understand that. I know it will take you a while to trust me again. But I'll wait for you. I don't care how long it takes. Because I love you too. I love you Santana, more than I've ever loved anyone in this world. Heck, I love you more than I love Lord Tubbington!"

This last comment made Santana chuckle, and she smiled at Brittany.

"Y'know what? I think I've started to forgive you already."

Although she was hurt by what Brittany did, the Latina knew that, at the end of the day, she would forgive Brittany for anything. Because she truly did love her. And she didn't know if she could stand ever being apart from her.

Brittany's face then broke into a grin, and she embraced Santana lovingly. Santana returned the hug, resting her head on Brittany's shoulder, nuzzling into her collarbone.

Brittany purred at this, and began softly stroking Santana's exposed neck. The Latina then raised her head, took the blonde's face in her hands, and tenderly planted a light kiss on her lips. Brittany smiled at this, and she then kissed Santana on the forehead, then her nose, then her jaw, showering her with sweet lady kisses. Santana then lay back, stretching out along the couch, and Brittany quickly followed suit, snuggling up to her girlfriend and wrapping her arms tightly around her waist. She slid one leg over Santana's, welcoming the familiarity and comfort the action produced. Santana cradled the blonde in her arms, playing with a lock of her hair.

She then touched Brittany's face, relishing the fact that she could touch Brittany and cuddle her whenever she wanted to. The blue-eyed girl looked up, her expression one of love and devotion. Santana's heart skipped a beat.

As they settled down to watch some TV, Santana leant forward until her lips were next to Brittany's ear. She stroked her best friend's cheek, and whispered:

"I love you B."

Brittany glanced up, and noticed a single tear trickle from the corner of Santana's eye. She reached up and soothingly wiped the tear away, before placing a soft kiss on the Latina's lips.

"I love you too S. I really do."

She then lay back down, a small smile on her face, glad to be back in her girlfriend's arms, relieved that Santana had forgiven her.

Santana breathed a sigh of contentment, happy to be with Brittany once again. Things had been tough, but now she knew. She knew that Brittany loved her, and wanted to be with her. And that was enough to make the world seem bright again.

She had Brittany back; nothing could be better than this.


End file.
